TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly addressed the current conflict in Iran and a new two-week ceasefire deal during a speech to about 250 people at the Tucson Convention Center earlier today.
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Kelly criticized the war but called the temporary ceasefire a step in the right direction. He spoke for about 45 minutes to the Tucson Rotary Club and members of the public.
"This is not helping our country," Kelly said.
Kelly said the closure of the Strait of Hormuz is driving the U.S. into an economically challenging time. He also criticized President Donald Trump for a lack of strategy in attacking Iran.
"We've further alienated our allies not just in the region but in Europe as well," Kelly said.
"The President got into this with no strategic goal, with no plan, with no timeline and no exit strategy," Kelly said.
Trump posted on Truth Social that the ceasefire deal will bring a golden age to the Middle East. He noted the U.S. will help with the traffic buildup in the Strait of Hormuz.
However, Lebanon is still being attacked and is not included in the ceasefire deal.
"I think the Iranians thought that the ceasefire included Lebanon, it just didn't, we never made that promise, we never indicated that was going to be the case," Vice President JD Vance said.
I asked Kelly how much trust he has in Iran and the U.S. to keep the deal going for two weeks, given that past ceasefire deals have been broken.
"Obviously, this is day one, and it's better than where we were yesterday at this time," Kelly said.
Vance called the ceasefire deal a fragile truce.
"What we said was that the ceasefire was going to be focused on Iran and the ceasefire will be focused on America's allies, both Israel and the Gulf Arab states," Vance said.
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Marc Monroy joined KGUN 9 as a multimedia journalist after moving from KGUN 9’s sister station, KXXV, in Waco, Texas. He graduated from California State University, Northridge, in 2024 with a degree in journalism. A native of Southern California and a bilingual reporter, Marc is excited to serve Southern Arizona and looks forward to connecting with neighbors in the community. Share your story ideas and important issues with Marc by emailing marc.monroy@kgun9.com or by connecting on Instagram, Twitter, or Facebook.
